I need help I don't understand! please help

Question

At first, the clubs were frightening,

swinging away from my hands in strange patterns—

red—yellow—blue—

chaotic, unpredictable,

colliding like doomed galaxies

in midair.

Best to jump back, to let go.

I tried to tame them, then,

launching one at a time, only one

in a slow, controlled arc.

Cautiously I added a second,

letting the last wait in my hand

while its fellows soared . . .

but it was such a handful!

Always there was one too many,

smashing down on my fingers,

bouncing away from my grasp.

At last I learned

how to grip with my thumb, how to keep my fingers waiting.

I caught the clubs as they came down:

One, two. Stop.

One, two. Stop.

But I could not let the third club go.

I resigned myself to two;

two was easy, familiar.

There was no fear of breaking things,

no worry of losing control.

Over and over I flipped the colors,

but still everything was missing.

And then there came a day

when I let go with full force,

spinning the third club away

with the sudden trust that it would come back.

It did.

Solidly they kept returning,

one two three one two three,

perfect rhythm in my hands.

Perfect order, perfect chaos,

for as long as I could trust the risk

of each new throw.

question:

1.summarizes the speaker’s feelings in the first stanza of the poem “Juggling”? 

She is surprised to discover her own hidden talent.

She is careful to avoid taking risks.

She is amazed by the beautiful colors of the clubs.

She is afraid because she cannot control the clubs.

2.Which line from the poem “Juggling” best supports the idea that the speaker is unhappy juggling with fewer than three clubs? 

At first, the clubs were frightening,

Always there was one too many,

I resigned myself to two

But still everything was missing.

Answer 1

Question 1.

You may be wondering if the answer is C, or D. Reading the question carefully, we see that the only part of the poem we're supposed to consider is the very first stanza. The speaker does express that she is too careful to risk adding the third club in the fourth stanza, but here in the first stanza, all that is being expressed is a fear of not being in control. Best to go with D.

Question 2. The only answer that makes sense is the last line of the fifth stanza, "but still everything was missing." This figurative language expresses to the reader that, although physically only 1/3 of the clubs is missing from the juggling rotation, the point of the entire experience is completely missing if the speaker isn't doing it fully and with conviction. This line serves as an important theme marker for the entire poem. By the end, the speaker realizes that sometimes scary risks and perseverance are necessary in order to enjoy life.

I hope this helps!

-Heaven Morrow